A/N - This chapter is based on the song 'Season of the Witch' by Donovan. I hope you all enjoy it.
In all honesty, you should have seen the intruder coming. There was no way that they should have been able to catch you of guard. Seven Hells, you could track every living creature within a mile of your front door. But somehow, he had wandered into your home without you even noticing that he was there.
"Who are you?" you uttered, pressing the sharp blade against his spine as you attempted to sound threatening. It wouldn't work. You had a soft voice, something that had bothered you since you were young, and there wasn't a soul alive who would have been startled by it.
The man raised his hands, releasing a soft sigh as he surrendered. "Beric," he started, feeling the knife shift slightly, pressing a little harder into his tunic.
"How did you find me?" You could see his eyes searching in the dark, looking for anything he could use to protect himself but finding only your work. Dried plants hung from strings by the window and vials of coloured liquids lined shelves. There was even a collection of more recognisable ingredients, gathered together on one of the counters. Bones and shells and crystals, all leading him to one conclusion.
"You do magic?" You tensed at his comment, shifting forward and hearing him release another, more anxious, breath as you pressed the knife closer to him.
"How did you find me?" you repeated through gritted teeth, practically growling.
"It wasn't intentional. Just looking for somewhere to sleep; the place looked abandoned."
You stayed silent for a moment, and then the blade moved away as you quickly moved away from him. "Well, it isn't," you uttered, watching him carefully as he turned to look at you.
"So I see," he responded, finally lowering his hands. "Didn't mean to bother you. I'll be on my way."
"Why didn't I know you were coming? I know everything about these forests." He shrugged slightly, watching as you bit down on your bottom lip, your brow furrowed in concentration. "I still can't sense you," you added, glancing up at him with fear in your eyes.
"Sense me?"
You nodded, shifting to take a seat at the small table you used as a work space. "I can sense all living things," you explained, wracking your brain in an attempt to find an answer.
"Well, It would probably help you to know that I'm not alive," he uttered, as though it was the most simple thing in the world. The look on your face was one of morbid curiosity as you allowed your eyes to wander over each and every inch of his body, searching for any sign of a lie. "Not in the traditional sense, anyhow."
You tilted your head to the side, your tongue darting out to wet your lips. "So, you're dead?"
"No."
"But you aren't alive?"
"Not really, no."
You let out a sound, half way between a laugh and a scoff, and shook your head. "You're mad."
"Probably," he murmured, moving to sit opposite you at the table. "It's a long story."
"I have all the time in the world."
Beric smiled at that, giving a short nod. "I was killed by Gregor Clegane," he started, shifting to lean back in his seat. "But a friend of mine, Thoros, he managed to bring me back."
"Does he use magic?" you uttered, your brow furrowed.
"No," he answered you, his voice softer as he let his eyes linger on your face. You were watching him so carefully, as if you were trying to learn everything about him just by staring. "He works with the Lord of Light." You nodded slightly, a gesture for him to continue. "He's brought me back six times, now," he added, watching as your eyes widened.
"Six," you uttered, so softly that he could barely hear you. You fell silent, your wide eyes staring down into your lap for a moment, the blade sitting there untouched.
"You never told me your name," Beric started, drawing your attention to him. He was smiling again, and you realised with a start that he was rather handsome, behind the mess of facial hair.
"Y/N," you answered, attempting a smile of your own. "That wasn't nearly as long a story as I was expecting," you added, listening as he snorted at your comment.
*Time Skip*
You had allowed Beric to stay in your home that night, though he had insisted that he would sleep on the floor, rather than let you give up your bed. He was quite sweet really. A gentleman. In fact, you'd encouraged him to stay for as long as he had needed, and it seemed he was just as reluctant to leave as you were for him to go.
It had all been going perfectly, until you were startled awake early one morning. It was still dark in your room, and you quickly sat up, glancing around the shadows in search of danger. And then it had hit you. Three men, headed your way, probably about half a mile away. You scurried out of your bed, shoving open the bedroom door with a clatter and waking Beric in the process.
"What's the matter?" he grumbled, sitting up on the living room floor to watch you with furrowed brows as you began gathering up your things. You remained silent as you worked, unceremoniously shoving bundles of dried herbs into a linen bag until Beric crossed the room, placing his hands on your shoulders to stop you moving. "What's going on?"
"People are coming. I need to leave."
You pressed your eyes closed for a moment, taking a deep breath before going back to your work, moving a little slower now. "You can't leave," he started softly, finally releasing your shoulders to place his hand over yours. "This is your home."
"It's temporary," you answered, shifting away from him to move over to the shelves of coloured liquid that lined one wall. "I'll find another home."
"How many people are there?"
You stopped, turning back to look at him. "Three that I can see," you murmured, giving a short shrug. "But I recently learned that there are people I can't see, so who knows?"
A sad smile pulled at his lips at your comment, and he nodded. "I can handle three. You aren't leaving."
"Yeah?" You swallowed around the lump in your throat, watching him carefully. "I don't have any weapons."
Beric waved a hand at you, moving over to where he'd piled his things by the door. "No worries, Sweetheart," he started, slipping his hand under his cloak and pulling out a sword. "I brought my own."
You nodded, releasing a deep breath that you hadn't been aware you were holding. "Thank you," you muttered, placing your bag onto the kitchen table and allowing your shoulders to relax slightly. You pressed your eyes closed for a second, attempting to sense the three men. "They aren't far. Maybe ten minutes out."
"Go find somewhere to hide," he murmured, giving you the most reassuring smile you had ever seen. "I'll come and find you when they're gone."
You nodded, getting to your feet and hesitating for a moment before changing course, heading straight for Beric. You pressed your lips to his rather suddenly, catching him off guard for a moment. And then his hands were on your waist, holding you in place as he deepened the kiss.
As you pulled away, he let out a soft breath, his hand coming up to touch your cheek ever so lightly. "Go into the other room," he uttered, kissing you again, fleetingly, before nudging you towards the door.
You sat silently in the corner of your bedroom for a while, on high alert as you listened for signs of the three men. It wasn't until you heard deep voices in the other room, followed by a loud belt of laughter than you wondered whether you could really trust Beric. You'd known him for all of a week and already you were allowing him to be in control of whether you would live or die.
"Y/N?" he called out, followed by a soft knock on the door. It creaked open, and you noticed the smile on his lips, which softened when he saw the terrified expression on your face. "It's alright, Darling. They're friends," he uttered, moving into the room and pressing the door shut behind him. "I was travelling with them before, got separated on the King's Road," he added, and you nodded slightly, your shoulders releasing some of their tension. "You're safe," he continued, reaching out his arms for you to move forward and into his embrace.
He was holding you so tightly that you felt you entire body relax, pressing yourself into him and releasing a shaky breath.
"Come on, come and say hi," he murmured, getting to his feet and helping you up. He led you into the other room, staying close to your side as the other men turned to look at you. "Y/N, these are my friends." He paused for a moment, watching as you gave them a weak smile and a short nod.
Thoros smiled back before glancing over to Beric. "I can see why you didn't come looking for us," he stated, letting out a small chuckle.
"Thoros-" Beric's tone was a warning, and you watched as his friend snickered at him.
"So you're the one that keeps bringing him back?" you stated simply, drawing his attention back to you. "That's a pretty impressive feat," you continued.
"It's not as hard as it seems," he answered, and you finally smiled properly, nodding.
Beric leaned a little closer to you. "He's not usually so modest," he uttered, drawing a snort of laughter out of you. "Y/N has a real talent for witchcraft," he started again.
Thoros nodded, glancing over at the other two men for a moment, before making a decision. "Perhaps you'd like to come with us, when we leave," he began. "It's not the easiest lifestyle, but we could do with someone with your skills, and it seems that you two get on pretty well."
You remained silent for a moment, before shaking your head. "Thank you, but no," you started, very aware of the way Beric shifted awkwardly beside you. You glanced over at him for a moment, releasing a soft sigh. "You were right. This place is my home; I can't just leave it."
He nodded, his hand running over your back for a moment, before he cleared his throat. "I'm staying with Y/N." You felt your heart tighten as his words registered. Since Beric had come into your home, you hadn't realised that you'd become quite so fond of him, but now, it was all pretty clear to you.
"You don't have to do that," you murmured, taking his hand in yours and linking your fingers.
Beric smiled down at you, his other hand coming up to touch your face, his palm pressing against your cheek. "No, but I'd like to, if that's okay with you," he answered softly, watching as a smile of your own began to grow. He leant in, pressing his lips to yours ever so gently, until Thoros cleared his throat, causing you to pull away quite suddenly.
"We'll be sorry to see you go," he uttered, and you felt Beric release you, moving to pull his old friend into a tight hug.
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